GK & Current Affairs Quiz: July 30-31, 2017

Notes:Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Minority Affairs & Parliamentary Affairs, has launched “Jiyo Parsi Publicity Phase-2” in Mumbai, Maharashtra under the Jiyo Parsi scheme. The main purpose of the “Jiyo Parsi” scheme (or Central Sector Scheme) is to reverse the declining trend of Parsi population by adopting a scientific protocol and structured interventions, stabilize their population and increase the population of Parsis in India.

2. Who has been appointed as the part-time member of the board of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA)?

Notes:Ravi Mittal, additional secretary in the Ministry of Finance, has been appointed as the part-time member of the board of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA). He succeeded N S Rao at IRDAI, who is a joint secretary level officer. Former finance secretary Sushma Nath is another part-time member on the IRDAI board. Besides, Maruthi Prasad Tangirala, a 1990-batch IP&TA&FS officer, has been appointed as Executive Director (ED) at IRDAI and his position will be equivalent to a joint secretary. Tangirala has replaced Sriram Taranikanti, who is a 1992 -batch IAS officer.

3. Which Indian sportsperson has won bronze in the Under-7 rapid championship at the 2017 Asian Schools Chess Championship (ASCC)?

Notes:Aditya Patil and Suhaani Lohia have clinched bronze medals at the 13th edition of Asian Schools Chess Championship (ASCC) 2017 in Panjin, China. Aditya won bronze in the Under-7 rapid championship, while Suhaani Lohia won the bronze in the Under-9 girls blitz championships. Both these prodigious talents are products of the South Mumbai Chess Academy (SMCA).

4. Which country is the world’s largest exporter of beef, as per recenlty released OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2017-2026 report?

Notes:According to the recently released OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2017-2026 report, Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of beef, followed by Australia and India. As per report, India exported 1.56 million tonnes of beef in 2016. It is expected to maintain its position as the third-largest exporter of the meat till 2026 by exporting 1.93 tonnes that year. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OECD database, India imported 363,000 tonnes of beef in 2016 and the amount was projected to stay the same over the decade. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the total world beef exports in 2016 was 10.95 million tonnes and was expected to increase to 12.43 million tonnes by 2026. The type of beef exported was not specified, but the exported meat appears to be mostly from buffaloes as the report has specified the animal for imports by Myanmar from India.

5. Which government agency has developed India’s first unmanned tank “Muntra”?

[A] Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)[B] Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)[C] Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA)[D] National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO)

Correct Answer: B [Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)]

Notes:The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has recently developed India’s first unmanned tank “Muntra” that can remotely operate. The agency has developed the tank in three different variants to tackle any kind of situation – ‘Muntra S’ for surveillance missons, ‘Muntra M’ for mine detection and a third variant ‘Muntra N’ for reconnaissance in areas with nuclear and bio threats. The Muntra variants have surveillance radar, an integrated camera along with laser range finder which can be used to spy on ground target 15km away – may be a crawling men or heavy vehicles.

6. K E Mammen, the noted Gandhian and freedom fighter has passed away. He hailed from which state?

Notes:K. E. Mammen (96), the noted Gandhian and freedom fighter, has recently passed away in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and is often referred to as the Kerala Gandhi. He became active in the freedom movement as a college student. He was first jailed for taking an open stand against C.P Ramaswamy Iyer, the then Dewan of the erstwhile Travancore state. After being denied an opportunity at continued studies here, he shifted to Madras Christian College in 1940. He was ousted from there too, following his participation in the Quit India Movement. He was also actively involved in anti-liquour campaigns across the state of Kerala till his death.

7. Which state government has recenltly banned use Of Liquid Nitrogen in Drinks & food items?

Notes:The Haryana government has officially prohibited flushing/mixing of liquid nitrogen with any drink or food article. The ban has been issued under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (Central Act 34 of 2006). As per officials, the state food department will now conduct surprise checks in restaurants and bars, especially those in Gurgaon, to check whether the ban was being flouted. According to expert medical opinion, any drink or food article whose preparation involves flushing/mixing of liquid nitrogen is harmful for humans. Liquid nitrogen is a colourless liquid having a boiling point of -195.79 °C and is used to instantly freeze food and drinks. It is used in bars to quickly chill glasses, freeze ingredients, and provide a smoky effect to drinks and in molecular gastronomy. It releases a large volume of gas as it evaporates, which can burst the stomach if consumed in a sufficiently large quantity. It is also used to cool computers and in cryogenic medical procedures like removing warts and cancerous tissues by freezing them.

Notes:Recently, Indian boxers has won five gold, two silver and one bronze medal at the 48th Grand Prix Usti Nad Labem in the Czech Republic, clinching five gold, two silver and one bronze medal at the event in the Czech Republic. Shiva Thapa (60 kg), Manoj Kumar (69 kg), Amit Phangal (52 kg), Gaurav Bidhuri (56 kg) and Satish Kumar (+91 kg) category has recently claimed gold medals after winning their respective summit clashes on July 30, 2017. Kavinder Bisht in 52 kg and Manish Panwar in 81 kg settled for silver medals. Earlier, Sumit Sangwan had claimed a bronze in 91 kg category after going down in the semifinals.

9. What is the theme of the 2017 World Day against Trafficking in Persons?

Notes:The United Nations (UN) World Day against Trafficking in Persons is observed every year on July 30 to raise awareness of the plight of human trafficking victims, and promote and protect their rights. The 2017 theme “Act to Protect and Assist Trafficked Persons” highlights the large mixed migration movements of refugees and migrants. The theme puts the spotlight on the significant impact of conflict and natural disasters, as well as the resultant, multiple risks of human trafficking that many people face. It addresses the key issue concerning trafficking responses: that most people are never identified as trafficking victims and therefore cannot access most of the assistance or protection provided.

Notes:The Indravati National Park (INP) is located in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh and covers an area of approximately 2799.08 km2. It is home to one of the last populations of rare wild buffalo. The flora in the Indravati National Park is mainly comprises tropical moist and dry deciduous type with predominance of the sal, teak and bamboo trees. It is also home to tigers, leopards, Indian bison, nilgai, blackbuck, chausingha , sambar, chital, Indian muntjac, Indian spotted chevrotain, etc.